Wichita eagle., 1887-07-22

NURSING AS AN ART.
A PROFESSION WHICH is BECOMING
ALMOST UNIVERSAL.
The First Requisite to a Good Nurse
Many Things to be Learned-Changes

The First Requisite to a Good Nurse
Many Things to be Learned-Change
in the Sick Room-study of tn
Patient.
My talk is not aoout professional nurses
but to those persons who find within thei
own four walls occasional opportunities TO
attendance upon the sick. We all hav
such opportunities, for sickness is tn
most universal of the ills that flesh is hei
to, and many person dies from Indifferent
treatment or lack of attention. The troubl,
is we try to become nurses without knowing
| that there is an art In it which We have no
| mastered. Every one cannot be successful
| nurse to even those whom she loves best; it i
foreign to some natures. 1t is gift-and 6
| most blessed one-which, like Florence Night
lngale, few possess; and yet, those who are
4 anxious to be of use in the sick room will
| find it possible to cultivate the art of nursing
to an extent which will surprise both them
selves and the patient. The first requisite tc
good nurse is sympathy; not that nervous
| spasmodic kind which overpowers the patient
with unnecessary attentions when he is suffer
ing with a particularly sharp attack of pain
but uniformly sympathetic nature that feels,
and hence does the right thing intuitively.
The proper sympathy produces the thought
fitness SO essential to the sick room.
We should try at all times to anticipate the
wants of those we are nursing; we should
think for them about everything that could
possibly contribute to their comfort-the
glass of cold water, the opening or closing of
window are small matters, but very CRATE
ful IN n SicB Ratbinc, tha
brow with ice or cologne water is another at
tention which is often neglected because it is
fatiguing, yet it is the most soothing thing
imaginable to one suffering with fever. In
every particular should the patients wants be
anticipated, as many sick persons allow their
consideration for their attendant to prevent
them from asking for what they may really
need. A good nurse remembers everything
and goes about performing her duties with a
cheerfulness that delights the invalid. Many
times the cheerfulness is forced to disguise
the terrible anxiety underlying it; but in any
event it has happy effect upon the sick.
Nothing is SO painful and depressing to those
who know that they necessarily require much
care and attention as to see it given grudg
ingly. 1t makes their affection ten times
harder to bear, and while they know that she
who does cheerfully and with alacrity all that
is to be done is fatigued sometimes they love
her for not showing or speaking of it.
THINGS TO BE LEARNED
Besides studying our manners and move
ments in the sick room, we must not forget
that there are also other things to be learned.
The apartments of the invalids must be kept
scrupulously clean; purity must breathe in
the atmosphere. The bed must be immaculate
and the patient must be frequently bathed
and rubbed, SO as to keep the skin in healthy
condition Some persons seem to think that
soap and water are sure death to a sick per-
son, while in reality there are few diseases
where such is the case. / do not mean that
we should plunge desperately i'll person into
the bath, but when the intensity Of the illness
has passed, TO sponge the patient every day
i'll warm water without removing the bed
clothes, thus protecting them from cold.
and refresheS them.
When persons are ill long time, they
become tired of seeing Just the
same piece of brio brac in the same identical
spots week in and week out, and the too
familiar pictures hanging on to their nails
forever. Now, the nurse has it in her power
to relieve. to a large extent, this horrible
of view by occasionally taking the
pictures down and replacing them with others
from various parts of the house; indeed, I
have heard of a neighbor sending rare art
gem to be hung in a sick friends room for
several days as a pleasant change of scene
Remove the brio a brac, which becomes
wearisome after time, and put in its place
vases of sweet, bright flowers. Bring the
bird in for while. if the patient is not suffer-
III TO- a1a 81
to things cheerful and pleasant.
STUDY THE PATIENT
Again we must study the disposition of the
sick we are nursing before we may deem our
selves skilled in our department, while the
great majority of sick people, particularly
when very i'll, are made better by encourage
ment and like to be pronounced getting well
fast" There are a few exceptions who, like
Mark Tapley, can only be cheerful under adj
verse circumstances, and who resent any in
timation that they show the slightest inn
provement. Try to entertain the suffering
ones; Danish all thoughts of business and let
not care of any kind enter the sick room
Read some pleasant paragraph that is not
long enough to be tireSome. When the !
patient is convalesciDg be slow to read those
things which would tax and fatigue him.
The eating is by no means subject of in
difference to the sick. Dainty little surprises
in the menu are always acceptable and appe-
t;zing to tho invalid. The nurse must sug-
Cest to the cook what to make for her patient, |
and as sometimes the entire recovery depends
upon what one eats, much thought must be |
given to it. When the sick person has no |
relish for food, and can take only little at
time, it should be given in small quantities, |
but more frequently than at regular meal |
times
1t is important to US all that We should be |
capable of nursing at least the inmates of our |
own homes None of us like the idea of |
giving our dear ones into the hands of entire |
strangers to be cared for, and while, as have |
said, professional nurses are essential in some |
cases, and in those families where there is no |
one able TO bear the fatigue or capable of |
rendering the attentions necessary, |
we daughters, sisters and mothers however,
should not depend upon the profession. but |
should train ourselves, for with our superior
educations and intelligence we should be
Iuick to recognize what is best to do for our
owed ones when they are Frustrated by i'll. |
leSs.-Baltimore American.
Not Busy Housewives, but Drones Do.
1T is a mistake TO say that American
women anguish for the lack of exercise" de
Jared a busy housewife. "On the contrary
most of Us are suffering for the want of rest.
Though we may not do much walking out
ide, we make up for it by the amount of
Walking We do in the house during the day
And nobody has right to say that we take
good many unnecessary steps; if we do it is
because our houses are not conveniently ar